Contact Information

The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative is dedicated
to supporting the training of world-class African American
Biological and Chemical scientists and engineers to achieve the
complimentary goals of national economic competitiveness and
social diversity. The initiative provides scholarships,
internships, and fellowships to at least 15 outstanding
undergraduate African
American students per year. In addition, the
UNCF/Merck Science Initiative may provide grants to the science
departments of the recipients' home institutions.

Each award provides up to $25,000; each UNCF●Merck Undergraduate Fellow will be paired with a
mentor/s and will be eligible for an Internship at a Merck
Facility (applied for separately).

The recipient’s department may apply for a Department Grant
of up to $10,000. The actual amount of this grant is continent
upon funds remaining in the scholarship portion of the award
after all tuition, room and board, and billable fees are paid.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for a UNCF●Merck Undergraduate Science
Research Scholarship Award, you must be:

African American

Enrolled full-time in any four-year college
or university in the United States

A junior who will be a B.S. or B.A. degree
candidate in the 2014-2015 academic year

A life sciences, physical sciences, or
engineering major. (Applicants majoring in the
physical sciences must have completed two
semesters of organic chemistry by the end of the
2013-14 academic year).

A student with a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0
scale

Committed to and eligible for the summer
internship at a Merck facility

A citizen or permanent resident of the
United States.

Award recipients will be selected based on their GPA, their
demonstrated interest in their own scientific education and a
career in scientific research or engineering, and their ability
to perform in a laboratory or engineering environment.